February 2013

As
a student in Moscow, Boris N. Yuriev
(1889–1957) constructed one of the first single main rotor/tail rotor
helicopters in 1912; during ground tests, however, the main rotor shaft failed
due to flexure. He later became revered as one of the greatest Russian
scientists in helicopter aerodynamics and the founder of Soviet helicopter
production.

In
1925, Yuriev was put in charge of helicopter research at the Central
Aero-Hydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI). The first flying Soviet helicopter was the
1-EA – it reached an altitude of 610 m (2,000 ft) and had an endurance of 14
minutes.

Ivan
Bratukhin (1903–1985) worked on early autogyro and helicopter research under
Yuriev, including the 11-EA PV, an improved version that demonstrated nearly 1
hour of endurance with two crew members. After the War, Bratukhin continued
development, resulting in the G-3, G-4, B-5, and B-11 lateral twin helicopters.
However, performance was hampered by vibration.

Alexander
S. Yakovlev (1906-1989) was a famed fighter aircraft designer during the War.
His first helicopter was the coaxial Yak-M11FR-1, the name coming from the 140
hp M-11FR-1 engine. It was also referred to as the Yak-EG
(Eksperimentalnyi Gelikopter). The helicopter was tested in 1947-48, but it was
decided that the coaxial rotor layout should be developed by the Kamov bureau.
Yakovlev built a single-main helicopter (Yak-100) and a tandem (Yak-24), with
as many as 100 built.

The
first successful Soviet rotary wing aircraft, the KaSkr-1 autogyro, was
designed by Nikolai Kamov (1902–1973) and Nikolai Skrzhinskii,
and made its first flight in September 1929. Mikhail Mil(1909-1970) also
worked on the project. The three designers were assigned to TsAGI in 1931. After
the war, Kamov and Mil became the heads of the two preeminent Soviet helicopter
design bureaus that still thrive today.

Mil
developed the Mi-1, the first Soviet helicopter to go into quantity production.
First flight was in September 1948 and the first of some 2,600 deliveries began
in 1951. Meanwhile, Kamov developed the Ka-10 coaxial helicopter first flew on
August 30, 1949 and paved the way for the Soviet Navy’s first production
helicopter, the Ka-15.